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5.06.2010

Happy Trails, Eric Byrnes

Eric Brynes, we've always liked your surfer look and sweet shades. Absolutely no one can rock the socks with sandals look quite like you, and for that, we'd like to high five you so hard that your hand stings for a whole day.

Only you could bounce back from those bad hair days on Baseball Tonight to bring us unconventional highlights from a kayak in McCovey Cove. Along with your faithful dog Bruin, you showed off your regular Joe fandom while other guys enjoyed playing in the 2007 All-Star Game. If only they knew how much fun you were having out there...

But way back in the day, we loved your hustle: those sweet diving grabs and shoe-string catches. And yes, we kept on loving you straight through the ups and downs. While the baseball world is very much looking forward to your unusual, yet sure-to-be entertaining broadcasting contributions, your buddies are looking forward to that right-handed bat roaming left field in beer league softball even more. Maybe you'll step up your game and bring a couple of sweet demarini baseball bats to the new field.

Byrnes will leave the pros with a career .258 batting average, 109 homers, 396 RBI, 129 stolen bases and 538 strikeouts over parts of 13 seasons between the Oakland Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks, and I guess the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners, if you want to count those three stints.